Devar/5769/Vayikra
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עברית
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And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him (Lev 1:3)
Here the Torah commands how the "individual burnt offering" is performed, and what purpose it serves. An offering of this kind is completely burnt -- no one eats of it, neither a Kohen nor the owner of the offering. The purpose is as stated, "to make atonement for him" -- but for what?
The one who brings this offering is a person whose situation has changed. For example, a convert or a woman who gave birth, or a Nazirite who finished his term and similar people. On the pilgrimage festival days when we go up to Jerusalem, an individual burnt offering is also brought, and the High Priest on Yom HaKippurim also brings such an offering. There is also the possibility for a person to bring a voluntary individual burnt offering.
In all of these cases, there is no specific, known deed for which the person seeks atonement (since for those there are the sin and guilt offerings). But it is quite likely that the person had bad thoughts, or did something not right. Therefore he burns the offering entirely, to say that he does not retain any connection to any such bad thought or deed which happened to be. He also destroys his own property (by burning that which he had purchased), to pay ransom, as it were, for his transgressions. If he brought the offering with a whole heart, and confessed over it properly, he receives atonement.
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